Observation start time: 08:30:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8.5 hours
Official Counter: Soren Zappia
Observers:
Visitors: 5 visitors. We had a few visitors throughout the day come to witness the spring migration and enjoy the perfect weather.
Thank you to volunteers Cayce and Chris Gulbransen, and Janet Peters. Your hard work and dedication shines through on days like these! We also appreciate your patience when watching Turkey Vultures and Bald Eagles to be sure they won't turn around on us.
Weather: It was a beautiful weather day today with mostly cloudy skies for most of the morning, and light winds from 1-2 bft that varied from NE to SE. Temperatures started as cool in the mid 40s to low 60s F.
As the day went on, the cloud cover cleared and temperatures heated up to the low 70s as the sun was shining.
Raptor Observations: It was a great May morning, and we saw a good number of migrants, including a very special bird!
There was a good flight of Broad-winged Hawks this morning. Some birds were distant or high, but many were low enough to see without binoculars. A dark morph adult BW was spotted low on the east before gaining height and joining a light morph BW in a thermal, giving fantastic looks to all our volunteers and visitors!
The highlight of the day was a Zone-tailed Hawk seen around 11:30 MST! The bird was initially spotted by volunteer Cayce as she said that she had a likely Turkey Vulture but that something seemed not right. The bird initially had a very TV-like appearance but as it came closer, its subtle differences in shape and black-and-white banded tail became apparent. It continued past out of sight below the horizon on the west, heading north. This is the first Zone-tailed Hawk recorded at the ridge, and we were very excited for this rare visitor from the southwest!
We also had a few Red-tailed Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, and Sharp-shinned Hawks as well, but Swainson's Hawks were surprisingly absent from the ridge today. The final hours were slow, but we did see a few Turkey Vultures migrate including a group of five.
A Bobcat was also seen on the ridge as we were packing up.
Non-raptor Observations: White-throated Swift 50, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 2, Mourning Dove 2, Say's Phoebe 1, Blue Jay 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 1, Black-billed Magpie 2, Common Raven 3, Tree Swallow 3, Violet-green Swallow 11, Rock Wren 1, House Finch 1, Pine Siskin 2, Spotted Towhee 2, Western Meadowlark 1, Red-winged Blackbird 4, blackbird sp. 3, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2
Predictions: Tomorrow sunny skies are predicted with temperatures in the mid 50s to high 60s F. The forecast shows light winds from the east and southeast. The UV index is predicted to be very high, so make sure to apply and reapply sunscreen! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>) Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at: www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description: Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk, Swainson's hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk. Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier, Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, and American White Pelican. Birders of any skill level are always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site: From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge. (Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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